Magnifying specimen viewer

ABSTRACT

A container for housing a specimen to be studied. A specimen, such as an insect, is mounted on a disk. The disk, acting as a piston, is mounted on a shaft having a knob on the opposite end thereof. The shaft extends through the bottom of a housing and the disk slides, as a piston, within the housing. The top of the housing is a lens element. The distance between the lens element and the specimen to be observed is controlled by positioning the piston within the housing by means of the knob resting outside the housing.

United States Patent Smith et al. 1451 Apr. 18, 1972 MAGNIFYING SPECIMEN VIEWER tion Engine," AE Quarterly T 7) [72] Inventors: n g int L :3 g fia Fri- Prima y Examiner-Da vid Schonberg Assistant Examiner-Robert L. Sherman {73] Assignee: Kimtec Incorporated, Towson, Md. Amwa -men, Gipple & Jacobson [22] Filed: June 26, 1970 [57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No.: 50,259

. A container for housing-a specimen to be studied. A specimen, such as an insect, is mounted on a disk. The disk, acting as a ..350(/;20329l; piston is mounted on a Shaft having a knob on the opposite 58 Field oi's'o r'oii ESE/ 25E 92/5; 35/20 l The Shaft extends 8 the 10mm of a ing and the disk slides, as a piston, within the housing. The top [56] References Cited of the housing is a lens element. The distance between the lens element and the specimen to be observed is controlled by UNITED STATES PATENTS positioning the piston within the housing by means of the knob 3,410,635 1 1 mos Lockwood ..35o/239 resflng outslde the s- 3,029,694 4/1962 Dantzic.; ..350/239 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Roles of Detonation Waves & Autoignition in Spark-Igni- 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 18 I972 3,656,840

FIG. 1

INVENTORS WILLIAM 6. SMITH ELIAS S. FRIANT, Jr.

MAGNIFYING SPECIMEN VIEWER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Children are generally infatuated by observing insect life.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a small tube-like housing having a cap thereon in the form of a magnifying lens. The bottom of the housing has a bore therethrough, and through the bore is positioned a piston rod. Mounted on the end of the piston rod extending into the housing is a piston-like disk on which may rest, either fixedly or loosely, the specimen to be observed. On the side of the piston rod extending outside the housing is a knob to control the position of the specimen with respect to the magnifying lens. A felt washer, or the like, is mounted on the bottom of the housing and frictionally engages the piston rod so that the specimen may be positioned at any desired distance from the magnifying lens.

With the present invention, young children, both in and out of the classroom, have the opportunity for observing insect life, or the like. In the classroom, numerous specimen containers may be provided, each container having secured to the disk-like piston, a different insect. Then, the containers may be passed from one student to the next and each student may observe, without damage, a plurality of insects. If used outside the class room, the specimen may be loosely positioned on the piston-like disk and observed until such a time that another specimen is found. Then, the magnifying cover may be removed, the specimen removed and the new specimen fitted within the housing.

Above, there has been described a magnifying viewer for small insects or the like, which viewer is simple in construction inexpensive in cost and adapted to be carried or passed from one place to the next.

Accordingly, it is the main object of the present invention to provide a device for use inside or outside the classroom, whereby children may observe nature in a magnified form.

It is another object of the present invention to provide such a viewer for children which is inexpensive and yet suitable for numerous educational uses.

These and other objects of the invention, as well as many of the attendant advantages thereof, will become more readily apparent when reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of the magnifying viewer of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the invention viewer;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the viewer shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an alternate embodiment of the specimen-mounting mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS With reference first to FIG. 1, the magnifying viewer is shown generally at 10. The viewer comprises a'main body portion 12 of, preferably, a clear plastic material. The main body portion 12 is provided with a cap 14. Extending through the bottom 16 of the main body portion 12 is a piston rod 18 having mounted thereon a disk-like piston 20. Piston 20 is held on the piston rod 18 by means of a tack 22. A washer 24 is secured to the bottom 16 of the housing 12 and frictionally engages the piston rod 18. In this manner, the piston rod 18, with its associated disk 20, may be held at any desired position with respect to the cap 14. A specimen'26 is shown to rest on the disk-like piston 20. The specimen may be loosely positioned on the disk or may be rigidly glued thereon. Because the piston extends substantially the entire inner area of the housing 12, the specimen 26 will remain in the upper portion, indicated generally at 28, of the housing 12. The extremity of the piston rod 18 remote from the piston 20 is adapted with a knob 30 to ensure that the piston rod is not retracted from the bore in the bottom 16 of the housing 12.

With reference to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the cap 14 is of a two-piece construction. The cap 14 consists of a main body portion 32 and a lens element 34. The cap 32 has a bore 36. therein, allowing an observer to view the specimen 26 resting on the disk 20.

In FIG. 3, there is shown the viewer of FIG. 1 represented in cross section. From this Figure, the configuration of the cap 14 is shown in greater detail. As noted above, with reference to FIG. 2, the cap 14 is formed by means of a main body portion 32 and a magnifying lens 34. As is evident from FIG. 3,

the lens 34 is of such a diameter that it is greater than the bore 36 in the main body portion 32. A lens-retaining portion 38 having a bore 40 of substantially the same diameter as the bore 36 in the main body portion 32 is positioned below the lens. In this manner, the lens 34 is sandwiched between the main body portion 32 and the lens-retaining member 38. Flanges 42 are provided on the cap 14 to hold the member 38 in a lens-securing position. Flanges 44 are provided on the cap 14 to meet with flanges 46 on the main body portion 12 to hold the cap secure with the body.

In FIG. 3, the functioning of the piston rod 18 through the bottom 16 of the housing 10 is readily apparent. The bottom 16 has a bore 46 allowing the piston rod 18 to slide therein. Fixedly secured to the bottom 16 is the frictional member 24 which may be, for example, a felt washer. It will be noted that the bore 46 is, in diameter, larger than the outer diameter of the piston rod 18. However, the frictional member 24 has a bore 48 provided therein, which bore 48 has an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the piston rod 18. In this manner, there is a constant frictional engagement between the member 24 and the piston rod 18.

With reference now to FIG. 4, the piston rod 18 is shown to have mounted thereon a hook-like structure 50. As is readily apparent from the Figure, the specimen 26 is threaded through the hook 50 and is readily observable through the magnifying lens 34. In this manner, the specimen may be securely and non-permanently mounted in the inventive magnifier.

Above, there have been described preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood however, that numerous alterations and modifications may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. It is the intent, therefore, that the invention not be limited to the'above but be limited only as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A magnifying viewer for viewing small objects, the viewer comprising: a cylindrical housing having a closed bottom and an open top; a bore in the bottom of said cylindrical housing; a piston rod extending through said bore, one extremity of which passing into said housing; specimen support means rigidly secured to the extremity of said piston rod inside said housing for supporting a specimen to be viewed; means rigidly secured to said housing for frictionally engaging said piston rod so that said piston rod may be positioned as desired; a cap removably secured to the open top of said housing; a single magnifying lens element supported by said cap; and means for adjusting the relative position between said specimen support means and said magnifying lens element by linearly moving the piston rod through the bore in the bottom of the housing, for obtaining the desired focus of the specimen through the lens element in the desired field of interest.

2. The invention as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for frictionally engaging the piston rod is in the form of a washer rigidly secured to-the bottom'of said housing, the in- 5. The invention as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for frictionally engaging said piston rod is in the form of a felt washer fixedly secured to the bottom of the housing.

6. The invention as described in claim 1, wherein the housing is of a clear plastic material.

7. The invention as described in claim 1, and further comprising a specimen rigidly fastened to said support means. 

1. A magnifying viewer for viewing small objects, the viewer comprising: a cylindrical housing having a closed bottom and an open top; a bore in the bottom of said cylindrical housing; a piston rod extending through said bore, one extremity of which passing into said housing; specimen support means rigidly secured to the extremity of said piston rod inside said housing for supporting a specimen to be viewed; means rigidly secured to said housing for frictionally engaging said piston rod so that said piston rod may be positioned as desired; a cap removably secured to the open top of said housing; a single magnifying lens element supported by said cap; and means for adjusting the relative position between said specimen support means and said magnifying lens element by linearly moving the piston rod through the bore in the bottom of the housing, for obtaining the desired focus of the specimen through the lens element in the desired field of interest.
 2. The invention as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for frictionally engaging the piston rod is in the form of a washer rigidly secured to the bottom of said housing, the inside diameter of said washer being less than the outside diameter of said piston rod.
 3. The invention as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for supporting the specimen is in the form of a piston-like disk whose outside diameter is substantially that of the inside diameter of said housing.
 4. The invention as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for supporting the specimen is in the form of a hook rigidly secured to said piston rod.
 5. The invention as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for frictionally engaging said piston rod is in the form of a felt washer fixedly secured to the bottom of the housing.
 6. The invention as described in claim 1, wherein the housing is of a clear plastic material.
 7. The invention as described in claim 1, and further comprising a specimen rigidly fastened to said support means. 